Effects of small-group learning on the assessment of professional skills through a PBL activity

Abstract

Working on a real project emphasizes an active learning environment such as that used in collaborative pedagogy, where students learn to resolve problems and improve their professional skills. Engineering programs are invested in improving learning by focusing on real hands-on experience. The crisis caused by COVID-19 will lead to a reduction in the number of enrollments in many university programs. Therefore, it is important to investigate how the dynamics of small groups will affect the active learning process. This study explores a hands-on learning activity in the context of a Web Map Service (WMS). It aims to analyze the improvement in professional skills of a group of Geomatics Engineering students with two approaches. Students from a university in Catalonia created a WMS as a team-based project. Meanwhile, in a university in Galicia, students on the same course and program conducted the same task but individually. Three independent surveys along the course helped to collect the students' opinions and assess their learning experience based on their project evaluations. The conclusion is clear: despite working with small learning groups, collaborative learning using a hands-on approach improves academic performance, increases motivation, and helps students acquire the necessary professional skills in their careers. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.